Victorian civil construction company, Califam Constructions Pty Limited has added a new Kobelco SK500LC-9 excavator to its fleet, which consists of a number of Kobelco machines.

According to Califam Constructions Managing Director Anthony Caligiuri, Kobelco machinery has been a mainstay of their company’s fleet for many years with advantages including a strong build, fuel efficiency and ability to handle the bigger rock breakers really well compared to other machines in the same class.

Califam Constructions was formed 40 years ago by Michael Caligiuri and is today operated by his five sons, Anthony, Joe, John-Paul, Andrew and Luke. The company specialises in earthmoving and civil construction related to building mains pipelines and has undertaken many significant projects for major developers and water authorities in and around the greater Melbourne area.

Anthony attributes their productivity and ability to deliver projects on time and to budget, to operating some of the best machines on the market.

Califam’s fleet also includes a number of SK480LC-8 excavators that perform well against competitive models; they decided to try out the new 50-tonne SK500LC-9 as they were confident it would perform better than the previous model.

Featuring a Hino P11C-VC six-cylinder common rail engine, the SK500LC-9 delivers 10 per cent more productivity and better fuel efficiency than the previous model. The reduced fuel consumption was a major factor in their decision, as was the machine’s ability to run at a good speed when compared to other machines in its class.

Safety is also a big consideration for Califam as they use the excavator for deep trenching in hard rock with a rock breaker attachment. The operating weight of the SK500LC-9 is almost 50,000kg, which is significantly heavier than earlier models; the cab also has rollover protection and is certified up to 56,000kg to cater for large attachments.

Anthony adds that the operator feedback has been good, with the cab offering a high degree of comfort and good visibility. A reversing camera also adds to safety and all these features put together make it much easier for the operator to sit in the cab all day.

Califam Constructions purchased the Kobelco SK500LC-9 from Ken Bennett at Melbourne Tractors, which has offered great service and dealer support.